Wrapping machines



L. BROOK WRAPPING MACHINES Oct. 11, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April14, 1952 Oct. 11, 1955 L. BRCOK WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledApril 14, 1952 INVE NT 'R 7 M4320 a6, dam

Oct. 11, 1955 L. BROOK WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April14, 1952 Oct. 11, 1955 L. BROOK WRAPPING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledApril 14, 1952 United States Patent Othe 2,720,068 Patented (Oct. 11,1955 1 2,720,068 WRAPPING MACHINES Leonard Brook, Beeston, Leeds,England, assignor to The Forgrove Machinery Company Limited, Leeds, Eng

land, a British company Application April 14, 1952, Serial No. 282,139 6Claims. (Cl. 53-41) Thisinvention relates to wrapping machines of thetype comprising a lifting plunger for lifting articles in successioninto a wrapping mechanism, a picker at one side of the lifting plungerfor intermittently feeding the end of a web of wrapping materialhorizontally into position above the lifting plunger and anintermittently op erating knife at the side of the lifting plungerremote from the picker for severing a wrapper from the leading end ofthe web so that the lifting plunger may lift a Wrapper with each articleintothe wrapping mechanism.

In such a machine, it is necessary to shift the knife in relation to thelifting plunger when it is desired to vary the length of the wrapperapplied to the article.

According to the invention the knife is mounted on a wrapper feed tablewhich is slidable on the machine framework, in a direction parallel tothat in which the wrapper is fed, to vary the position of the knife inrelation to the lifting plunger, the feed table being readily detachablefrom the framework of the machine and carrying a linkage for impartingmovement to the knife which, in all positions of adjustment of the feedtable, coacts with a cam operated actuating member.

Adjustment of the knife to vary the length of wrapper cut from the webcan therefore readily be made and the feed table can be detached fromthe framework of the machine when it is desired to clean it or to repairthe knife-operating linkage without disturbing the adjustments andsettings.

One specific embodiment of wrapping machine according to the inventionfor wrapping confectionery will now be described in detail, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 isa side elevation of the machine,

Fig. 2 is a plan View, on a larger scale, of the wrapper feed table,

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively sections on the lines.

IIIIII and IVIV in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, on the same scale as Fig. 2, of the wrapperfeed table,

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VI-Vl in Fig. 5 and Fig. 7 is a viewlooking from the left hand end of Fig. 2.

Like reference characters denote like parts throughout the figures.

A web 10 of heat sealing material (e. g. waxed paper) is periodicallyfed by a picker 9 (Fig. 2) from a reel 11 (Fig. 1) over rollers 12 and13 and along an adjustable feed table 14 (Fig. 2) past a pair of cuttingknives 15, 150. The knives are periodically actuated, as laterdescribed, to sever a wrapper from the leading edge of the web. A secondreel 111 of wrapper is provided for use when the reel 11 is exhausted. f

The pickenactuating mechanism is fully described in U. S. applicationSerial No. 283,332, now Patent No. 2,676,441, and it will be sufficientto explain. here that a bell crank 16 carrying the picker 9 isperiodically oscillated by a cam to impart forward and return strokes tothe picker, while a link 17 is periodically raised and lowered by acam-operated lever 18 to close and open the picker jaws. The lever 18 iscoupled by a linkage 19 and a rod 20 to a clamp 21 which is lowered toclamp the web of wrapping material when the knives are operating and ismoved to inoperative position when the picker jaws close to feed thewrapper forward.

The tablets to be wrapped are fed by hand from a hopper 22 into recesses23 in a horizontal feed disc 24 (Fig. 2) which is intermittentlyrotated, anticlockwise as seen in Fig. 2, to bring the tablets insuccession into position above a lifting plunger 25. This isperiodically lifted by a cam operated linkage 26 (Fig. 1) to lift atablet, and the wrapper which has been fed by the picker into positionabove it, through an annular brush contained in a member 27 and into apair of grippers 28 on a carrier head 29, a cam-operated top plunger 30having previously descended through the brush to press the wrapperagainst the tablet during its transit through the brush. The carrierhead 29 is intermittently rotated and the wrapping of the tablets iscompleted on the carrier head as described in U. S. application SerialNo. 283,332. A feeler (not shown) depending downwardly from a member 31tests the recess 23 in the feed disc at the station immediatelypreceding the lifting station. If there is no tablet in that recess acatch 32 is positioned to intercept the lever 18 and prevent the pickerjaws from closing on the wrapper, so preventing a wrapper from being fedinto position above the empty recess. When the feeler encounters atablet, the catch 32 is rendered inoperative.

Turning now to Figs. 27, the knife-supporting feed table 14 comprises alower plate 33 for supporting the Web of wrapping material, and a covermember 34, at the forward end of the lower plate 33, having at one sidea. boss 35 embracing a forwardly inclined. stud 36 extending upwardlyfrom the lower plate.

The cover member 34 can be swung open for cleaning purposes. it swingswith an angular upward motion so as to clear any obstruction which mayhave accumulated underneath and also to prevent disturbance of thewrapping material. It is retained in its closed position by engagementin a recess in its undersurface of a catch 37 (Fig. 4) urged upwardly bya spring 38 attached by screws 39 to the undersurface of the lower plate33. The cover member 34 is located on its hinge stud 36 (Fig. 6) by adog ended grub screw 40 fitting in a groove 41 in the stud. A furthergroove 42 is cut out to the top of the stud 36 to allow the cover member34 to be withdrawn from the stud 36 after it has been turned to apredetermined positron.

The lower plate 33 carries guides 43 (Fig. 3) for the opposite edges ofthe web of wrapping material. The guides are adjustable in a slot 44 ina V-section slide 45 (see also Fig. 5) which extends transversely to thelower plate 33. The guides are held frictionally by.

compression springs 46 in the positions to which they have been set intheir respective slots, and scales 47 are provided on the slide 45 tofacilitate setting of the guides 43 to suit the width of web. The slide45 is held fricionally by a peg 49, mounted on the free end of a flatspring 48, secured by screws 50 to the undersurface of the table,against movement in relation to the table, but it can be moved bodily inrelation to the table by turning an eccentric stud engaging a hole inthe end of the slide.

The feed table has a downwardly depending tongue 151 mounted to slide ina longitudinal slot 51 (Fig. 7) in a fixed frame member 52. An adjustingscrew 53, engaging a tapped hole in the table, has a neck 54 (Fig. 2) ofreduced diameter which rests in an upwardly open groove 55 (Fig. 7) inthe frame member 52, so restraining the adjusting screw from endwisemovement in relation to the machine framework. A clamping screw 56 (Fig.5) is inserted from below, through a longitudinal slot 57 (Fig. 2) inthe framework into a tapped hole in the lower plate 33 of the feedtable. By slackening the clamping screw 56, by means of a knob 53, andturning the adjusting screw 53, by means of a knob 59, the feed tablecan be slid longitudinally along the framework and thereafter locked inits new position by the clamping screw 56. A scale 60 and index 61 (Fig.2) are provided for showing the position of adjustment of the feed tablein relation to the framework. The feed table can readily be detachedfrom the framework by removing the knob 58 from the clamping screw 56.When this has been done, the feed table can be lifted directly off theframework.

At the end nearer the lifting plunger, the feed table supports the twoknives 15, 150 which extend transversely of the carriage and betweenwhich the web is fed into position above the lifting plunger. The knife15 is fixed to a longitudinal shaft 62 (Fig. journalled in the feedtable and having fixed to it, at the end remote from the knife, aprojecting arm 63 (Fig. 7). The other knife 150 (Fig. 5) is pivoted onthe shaft 62 and carries an arm 64, in which is a hole engaged by a pin65 fixed to an arm 66 on a sleeve 67 surrounding the shaft and alsohaving fixed to it, at the end remote from the knife, a projecting arm68 (Fig. 7'). A spring 69 (Fig. 5) urges the knives into contact withone another. The ends of the arms 63, 68 (Fig. 7) are joined by links70, 71 to a pin 72 on a lever 73 pivoted at 74 to the end of the feedtable and carrying at the other end a tappet 75 which rests on a fiatsurface 76 at the upper end of a cam-operated bar 7-7 (see also Fig. l).The arms 63, 68 and the links 70, 71 form a parallelogram linkage and aspring 78 connected to an upstanding arm 79 on the lever 73 holds thetappet 75 in contact with the bar 77 and tends to close up theparallelogram linkage and move the knives 15, 150 together in scissorsfashion to cut the web.

The bar 77 is mounted to slide up and down on the framework of themachine and is urged downwardly by a spring 80. It is pivoted at itslower end to an arm 81 (Fig. l) fixed to a rocking shaft 82 whichcarries another arm 83 (Fig. 7) having on it a follower 84 which coactswith a cam 85 so as periodically to lift the bar 77 and so rock thelever 73 in the direction to open the knives 15, 150 and thereafter tolower the bar 77 and allow the spring 78 to close the knives. The flatsurface 76 of the bar is of such length that the tappet 75 coacts withit in all positions of adjustment of the feed table.

The bell crank 16 (Fig. l) which imparts reciprocating movement to thepicker is slotted and coupled by a slide 86 to a slotted driving lever87 which is oscillated by a cam to reciprocate the picker 9. Byadjusting the slide 86 the stroke of the picker may be adjusted toconform with the position of adjustment of the knives 15, 150, so as tofeed the length of wrapper appropriate for the articles to be wrapped,and also to ensure that the cut wrappers will be fed into correctposition in relation to the lifting plunger 25. A scale 88 serves toindicate the stroke to which the picker has been set.

The guides 43 can be pre-set, with the aid of the scales 47-, inrelation to the slide 45 to suit a given width t of wrapper. Thereafter,while the machine is running, a final lateral adjustment of the wrappercan be made, if necessary, Without disturbing the setting for width byturning the eccentric stud 90.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wrapping machine comprising a wrapping mechanism, and a liftingplunger for lifting articles in succession into said wrapping mechanism,the combination with said lifting plunger of a framework, a horizontalfeed table resting on said framework, a reciprocating picker for feedingthe end of a web of wrapping material forward along said table and intoposition above said lifting plunger, a knife on said table for severingwrappers in succession from the end of said web, a guide on saidframework, said guide extending parallel to the direction of wrapperfeed and said table being removably positioned on said guide, a manuallyoperable adjusting member for adjusting said table along said guide tovary the distance between the knife and the lifting plunger, a

linkage mounted on said table for operating said knife, a lever pivotedto the table for actuating said linkage, an actuating member mountedadjacent the table, said actuating member having a long face abuttingagainst the end of said lever in all positions of adjustment of thetable in relation to the guide, a cam arranged to reciprocate saidactuating member and thereby, through said lever and linkage, to operatesaid knife and a releasable clamping member for holding said table inadjusted position on said guide.

2. In a wrapping machine comprising a wrapping mechanism, and a liftingplunger for lifting articles in succession into said wrapping mechanism,the combination with said lifting plunger of a framework, a horizontalfeed table resting on said framework, a reciprocating picker for feedingthe end of a web of wrapping material forward along said table and intoposition above said lifting plunger, a pair of knives pivoted to saidtable which are operable in scissors fashion to sever wrappers insuccession from the end of said web, a guide on said frame: work, saidguide extending parallel to the direction of wrapper feed and said tablebeing removably positioned on said guide, a manually operable adjustingmember for adjusting said table along said guide to vary the distancebetween said knives and said lifting plunger, a pair of coaxial shaftssupported by the table and extending lengthwise thereof, meansconnecting each of said shafts to one of said knives, a lever pivoted tosaid table and extending. tranversely thereto, a linkage coupling oneend of said lever to said shafts and serving to impart opening andclosing movements to said knives on pivotal movement of said lever, anactuating member mounted adjacent the table, said actuating memberhaving a long face abutting against the other end of said lever in allpositions of adjustment of the table in relation to the guide, a springbetween said lever-and said table for maintaining the end of the leverin contact with the actuating member, said spring tending to close saidknives, a cam for reciprocating said actuating member and therebythrough the agency of said lever imparting movement to said knives, anda releasable clamping member for holding said table in adjusted positionon said guide.

3. In a wrapping machine, a combination as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe adjusting member comprises a screw engaging a tapped hole in thetable, and comprising a bracket on the framework having therein anupwardly open groove accommodating a neck on said screw, said bracketrestraining said screw against endwise movement but allowing of upwardmovement of said screw to withdraw said screw from said bracket.

4. In a wrapping machine, a combination as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe clamping member comprises a screw depending downwardly from a tappedhole in the table through a longitudinal slot in the framework.

5. In a wrapping machine, a combination as claimed in claim 1,comprising a slide on said feed table which ex-- tends transverselythereto, guides for the opposite edges of said web which are adjustablymounted on said slide, and an eccentric pin connecting said slide tosaid table, said slide being adjustable tranversely to said table byrotation of said eccentric pin.

6. In a wrapping machine, a combination as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid feed table comprises a lower plate adjustable in said guide andserving to support said web, a cover member at the forward end of saidplate, and a forwardly inclined stud extending upwardly from said lowerplate, said cover plate being pivoted at one side thereof to said stud.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 8.0 Crowell Sept. 16, 1879 736,592 Godfrey Aug. 18, 1903 2,220,256Martindell Nov. 5, 1940, 2,252, 28 Petskeyes s- 12, 1

